---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What you learn about yourself is that you…"
description: "\"What you learn about yourself is that you continue to see that you're selfish. It's so easy, in our Laodicean culture with all the different things tha..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/aaron-kampman-63467_about-yourself_what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-yo_226396.jpg"
---

#  What you learn about yourself is that you continue to see…

![“What you learn about yourself is that you continue to see that you're selfish. It's so easy, in our Laodicean culture with all the different things that grab our minds that aren't of eternal value, to let those tentacles wrap themselves around your heart. That's one of the reasons why we love…” quote by Aaron Kampman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/aaron-kampman-63467_about-yourself_what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-yo_226396.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/aaron-kampman-63467_about-yourself_what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-yo_226396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/aaron-kampman-63467_about-yourself_what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-yo_226396.jpg)

> “What you learn about yourself is that you continue to see that you're selfish. It's so easy, in our Laodicean culture with all the different things that grab our minds that aren't of eternal value, to let those tentacles wrap themselves around your heart. That's one of the reasons why we love going overseas. It helps us to break free of those things. We've been on all of these trips, but it's easy to slide back into the selfishness of life. That's what we find out about ourselves.”

[Aaron Kampman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage reflects on how modern culture's endless distractions foster selfishness, and that traveling abroad can help break that pattern and reveal personal flaws.

**In simple terms:** Constant distractions make us selfish; travel reveals this.

Key Takeaway

Use travel to confront and reduce selfish habits.

Themes

selfishness travel self‑awareness culture

Mood

introspective motivational

Type

philosophical self‑help

When to use this quote

- vacation planning
- mindfulness practice
- community service
- educational trips

Key Concepts

psychology of distraction personal growth cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How does travel change your values?
- What non‑travel methods can counter selfishness?

A Different Perspective

Travel may not be accessible to everyone and can be superficial.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) [Break free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-free/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Selfishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfishness/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/)

## Related quotes

> [“I'm talking about the cycle of life. I'm talking about finding some alien creature and deciding to marry her and stay with her forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-m-talking-about-the-cycle-of-life-i-m-talking-about-finding-some/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Sometimes people who want more than they can handle end up losing everything altogether. Greed and selfishness will get you nowhere in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/sometimes-people-who-want-more-than-they-can-handle-end-up-losing/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Young people now reside in a world in which there are few public spheres or social spaces autonomous from the reach of the market,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/young-people-now-reside-in-a-world-in-which-there-are-few-public/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [An amoeba is a formless thing which takes many shapes. It moves by thrusting out an arm, and flowing into the arm. It multiplies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-laird/an-amoeba-is-a-formless-thing-which-takes-many-shapes-it-moves-by/)

[Charlton Laird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-laird/)

> [The EU is deeply harmful, it is an anti-democratic monster. I want to prevent it from becoming fatter, from continuing to breathe, from grabbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/the-eu-is-deeply-harmful-it-is-an-anti-democratic-monster-i-want-to/)

[Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/)

> [I feel like I'm lost in an anime movie" I said, as Coyote picked the thing up. "One of the tentacle-monster ones." Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-feel-like-i-m-lost-in-an-anime-movie-i-said-as-coyote-picked-the/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Any entity – no matter how many tentacles it has – has a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-consolmagno/any-entity-no-matter-how-many-tentacles-it-has-has-a-soul/)

[Guy Consolmagno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-consolmagno/)

> [“His words thrummed in, deep, imprinting themselves on her very deepest, deepest, deep bits. “I believe I am your destiny. You are mine, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-silverwood/his-words-thrummed-in-deep-imprinting-themselves-on-her-very-deepest/)

[Cari Silverwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-silverwood/)

> [“Nothing in the world has tentacles or fins or paws or claws. Nothing in the world soars. Nothing swims. Nothing purrs, barks, growls, roars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/nothing-in-the-world-has-tentacles-or-fins-or-paws-or-claws-nothing/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [A lot of my peer group think I'm an eccentric bisexual, like I may even have an ammonia-filled tentacle somewhere on my body. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-downey-jr/a-lot-of-my-peer-group-think-i-m-an-eccentric-bisexual-like-i-may/)

[Robert Downey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-downey-jr/)

> [The fact is that you can be a Nazi living in a little trailer in the middle of Montana and as awful as everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-theroux/the-fact-is-that-you-can-be-a-nazi-living-in-a-little-trailer-in-the/)

[Louis Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-theroux/)

> [I came," she said, "hoping you could talk me out of a fantasy." Cherish it!" cried Hilarious, fiercely. "What else do any of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/i-came-she-said-hoping-you-could-talk-me-out-of-a-fantasy-cherish-it/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [ \[The Library of Congress\] is a multimedia encyclopedia. These are the tentacles of a nation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-library-of-congress-is-a-multimedia-encyclopedia-these-are-the/)

[Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/)

> [Despite a primitive brain, the octopus possesses an intricate system that helps it decide which tentacle to masturbate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/despite-a-primitive-brain-the-octopus-possesses-an-intricate-system/)

[Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/)

> [I'm aware that because America is so powerful - with its tentacles reaching out to the world - one doesn't escape it by leaving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/i-m-aware-that-because-america-is-so-powerful-with-its-tentacles/)

[Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/)

## More by Aaron Kampman

> [I had a tremendous upbringing and foundation but as others like me have experienced, when you go to college, mom and dad are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/i-had-a-tremendous-upbringing-and-foundation-but-as-others-like-me/)

[Aaron Kampman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/)

> [The reality is we are 0-3. The reality is that we can still be a very good football team. We need to show that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/the-reality-is-we-are-0-3-the-reality-is-that-we-can-still-be-a-very/)

[Aaron Kampman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/)

> [When a lot of athletes get done playing, they end up in some really tough positions. They have a hard time transitioning because their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/when-a-lot-of-athletes-get-done-playing-they-end-up-in-some-really/)

[Aaron Kampman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/)

> [Christ was on display early in my childhood. Both my mother and father were living examples of what it meant to live for Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/christ-was-on-display-early-in-my-childhood-both-my-mother-and-father/)

[Aaron Kampman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/)

[Explore all 5 Aaron Kampman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/)

## More About yourself quotes

> [“they all have always loved you Will Herondale, for you cannot hide what is good about yourself, however har you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/they-all-have-always-loved-you-will-herondale-for-you-cannot-hide/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/)

[RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/)

> [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

> [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/)

[Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/)

> [Dreams really tell you about yourself more than anything else in this world could ever tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/dreams-really-tell-you-about-yourself-more-than-anything-else-in-this/)

[Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/)

> [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/)

[Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/)

> [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/)

[Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/)

> [Always be yourself. There's only one you. You should embrace anything that you don't like about yourself because that's individual and that's you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesy-nelson/always-be-yourself-there-s-only-one-you-you-should-embrace-anything/)

[Jesy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesy-nelson/)

> [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/)

[Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/)

> [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [The only thing a master can teach is how to learn about yourself. There are no secrets. They are only techniques to waken yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-only-thing-a-master-can-teach-is-how-to-learn-about-yourself/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/)

[Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/)

> [A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. How awful we all are when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/a-stranger-can-see-in-an-instant-something-in-you-that-you-might/)

[Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/)

> [Knowing is the most profound kind of love, giving someone the gift of knowledge about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/knowing-is-the-most-profound-kind-of-love-giving-someone-the-gift-of/)

[Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/)

> [Start telling the truth now and never stop. Begin by telling the truth to yourself about yourself. Then tell the truth to yourself about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/start-telling-the-truth-now-and-never-stop-begin-by-telling-the-truth/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

[Browse all 770 About yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What you learn about yourself is that you continue to see that you're selfish. It's so easy, in our Laodicean culture with all the different things that grab our minds that aren't of eternal value, to let those tentacles wrap themselves around your heart. That's one of the reasons why we love going overseas. It helps us to break free of those things. We've been on all of these trips, but it's easy to slide back into the selfishness of life. That's what we find out about ourselves.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aaron Kampman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-you-continue-to-see-that-you-re/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About yourself"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-you-continue-to-see-that-you-re/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/aaron-kampman-63467_about-yourself_what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-yo_226396.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/aaron-kampman-63467_about-yourself_what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-yo_226396.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/aaron-kampman-63467_about-yourself_what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-yo_226396.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What you learn about yourself is that you continue to see that you're selfish. It's so easy, in our…” — Aaron Kampman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Aaron Kampman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-kampman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What you learn about yourself is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-you-continue-to-see-that-you-re/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-kampman/what-you-learn-about-yourself-is-that-you-continue-to-see-that-you-re/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
